There have been navy blue and crimson baseball caps up and down the desk, strategically positioned in entrance of each cupboard member, and every bearing the message “Gulf of America”.
But the unorthodox assortment of headwear, embroidered with Donald Trump’s pressured new title for the centuries-old Gulf of Mexico, was removed from probably the most weird facet of a unprecedented White Home gathering hosted by the president on Wednesday.
The cupboard assembly to commemorate the primary 100 days of Trump’s second time period was, within the view of some social media commentators, one thing extra akin to a gathering of Kim Jong-un loyalists in North Korea, every successive speaker making an attempt to outshine the opposite in heaping lavish reward on their expensive chief.
There was the sight of Elon Musk, the outgoing head of the unofficial “division of presidency effectivity”, putting one of many crimson Gulf of America hats on high of the Doge one he was already sporting.
There was additionally an outing for a favourite Maga – Make America Nice Once more – conspiracy principle, with the well being secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, repeating the debunked declare that 300,000 unaccompanied migrant youngsters have been by some means “misplaced” by the Biden administration.
Pam Bondi, Trump’s hand-picked lawyer common, performed the position of chief cheerleader, inflicting the president to nod his head as she counseled him.
“Mr President, your first 100 days has far exceeded that of every other presidency on this nation ever, ever,” she gushed. “[I’ve] by no means seen something prefer it, thanks.”
Recalling her Tuesday go to to the Drug Enforcement Administration she added: “They stated to me you, Donald Trump, have taken {the handcuffs} off of DEA brokers.”
It was, nevertheless, some peculiar allegations made by Kennedy regarding the Biden-era well being and human companies (HHS) division that actually raised eyebrows, coming quickly after “loud quacks” from the well being secretary’s duck-themed cellphone ringtone interrupted Trump, the Related Press reported.
“We’ve ended HHS, because the position as effector, the principal effector on this nation, for youngster trafficking,” Kennedy stated.
He went on: “In the course of the Biden administration HHS turned a collaborator in youngster trafficking for intercourse and for slavery. And we’ve ended that and we’re very aggressively going out and looking for these youngsters, 300,000 youngsters that have been misplaced by the Biden administration.”
Throughout his marketing campaign for the 2024 election, Trump repeatedly misrepresented authorities information to falsely declare that 300,000 migrant youngsters who crossed the border unaccompanied had gone lacking, and stated lots of them have been trafficked or prone to be lifeless.
The kids weren’t actually misplaced or lacking. HHS information recorded solely the numbers crossing the border, and monitoring ceased after they have been positioned in properties and communities with relations already within the US.
Kennedy didn’t broaden on the “aggressive” efforts his division was making to attempt to discover youngsters who have been truly by no means lacking.
A lot of the remainder of the two-hour assembly, and a question-and-answer session with the media, was consumed by Trump speaking up the perceived accomplishments of his first 100 days. He tried to distance himself from Tuesday’s bleak financial information that implies the US might be heading for a recession on the again of his tariff insurance policies:
“I’m not taking a credit score or discredit for the inventory market,” he stated. “I’m simply saying we inherited a large number.”
But when the inventory market was hovering throughout the remaining 12 months of Biden’s presidency, Trump continuously insisted it was as a result of traders have been buoyant on the prospect of him returning to the White Home.
The president was requested by a reporter on Wednesday if he had spoken with Xi Jinping, the Chinese language president, concerning the tariffs which have sparked a doubtlessly pricey commerce struggle between the nations, and have led to predictions of empty cabinets earlier than the tip of the 12 months as imports dry up.
Trump stated he had not, and provided his personal prediction as to how Christmas may search for American households.
“Someone stated, ‘Oh, the cabinets are gonna be open.’ Effectively, possibly the youngsters could have two dolls as an alternative of 30 dolls,” he stated.
“So possibly the 2 dolls will price a pair bucks greater than they might usually.”
The Related Press contributed to this report
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